posted on January 20, 2026
MSI PI Eric Seabloom (professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior) was interviewed recently on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) about a 40-year study to determine the long-term effects of fertilizers on soil. The study, which was undertaken at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR) in East Bethel, Minnesota, showed that fertilizers used during farming help boost the soil’s ability to store carbon. The University of Minnesota researchers worked with colleagues in Canada.
The story can be heard and read on the MPR website: U of M study finds that retired cropland has more carbon storage potential.
Professor Seabloom is the Interim Director of CCESR and the co-Lead Principal Investigator of the Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research program. He is also a co-founder, with MSI PI Elizabeth Borer (Regents Professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior), of The Nutrient Network, (NutNet), a global collaborative research group studying two of the most important effects of humans on grassland ecosystems: alteration of herbivore (i.e., grazing animal) density and increased supply of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. MSI supports NutNet by helping manage and maintain plant, soil, climate, and genomics data collected in the globally distributed NutNet experiment.